Writing with distractions

Sometimes you just can’t get the peace to write, so you have to go with the flow. I am writing this while one of my kids does their homework (lots of input) and the other one tries to annoy everyone else in the house because he is bored. It is a ‘no tech’ day so he uses this day to annoy everyone around him. Oh well. Writing with distractions is all a part of getting the best content produced that you can.

If I went away to another part of the house or left to go to a café to write then I would have the same issue. There would be distractions everywhere I look. Just working on the internet means that there are distractions on every page. You just have to plough your way through. I find that getting on with the writing even though you may be distracted is a good thing. You will develop a thicker skin and the ability to switch off over time. I am fortunate that I can write in solitude for large parts of the day. I don’t take many phone calls for my business as the vast majority of it is done online. I don’t sit in an office with scores of other people. I can just write.

But from the time the kids get in from school I have the balance of being a father with being a writer. I try to get up early (usually around 5.30am) so I can get a couple of hours in before the rest of the house gets up. This puts me ahead of the game for the day and I feel like everything is an easy ride from there. So I start to wind down towards the end of the working day.

Writing with distractions – strategies

So I tend to write away and then go over it again before it goes back to a client or gets published. This way I can work through any distractions but have work that is ready to go live. Reviewing your work is a really important way to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Going back over something not only picks up any errors in spelling or grammar but gives you a sense of how it will read to someone else. So take a few moments to look through what you have written and be happy with it before you make it live.

Don’t be afraid to revisit a piece of work more than once. People often think that it is best to write something in one sitting but that is not always the case. You can get fresh ideas by walking away for a while and can see any potential issues in your writing if you come back and re-read.

If you have any questions about your writing then please contact me and I will be more than happy to give you any tips or set you on the right track. We have to embrace the environment we work in to get the most from it. If you want to write your best then you may just have to look back in future and make some adjustments.